Microwave annealing apparatus and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

• US 9,466,517 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2013
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohno, Hiroshi, Aoyama, Tomonori, Miyano, Kiyotaka, Honguh, Yoshinori, Shiratsuchi, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): VAN, QUANG T
• Application Number:
  US13/859,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20140073065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 219/678, 219/697, 219/700, 219/702, 219/710, 219/716, 219/750, 219/751, 219/759, 219/746, 219/748, 219/757, 438/5, 438/478, 118/730
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6455 the sensors being infrared detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/68 for monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/806 for laboratory use

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a microwave annealing apparatus is provided, including a housing shielding electromagnetic waves, a first electromagnetic wave source configured to apply a first electromagnetic wave into the housing, a second electromagnetic wave source configured to apply, into the housing, a second electromagnetic wave having a higher frequency than the first electromagnetic wave, a susceptor configured to hold a semiconductor substrate, made of a material transparent to the first electromagnetic wave and provided in the housing, a temperature measuring device configured to measure the temperature of the semiconductor substrate, and a control unit configured to control the power of each of the first and second electromagnetic wave sources in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device.

Claims

1. A microwave annealing apparatus comprising:

a housing configured to shield electromagnetic waves;

a first electromagnetic wave source configured to apply a first electromagnetic wave in a microwave region into the housing;

a second electromagnetic wave source configured to apply, into the housing, a second electromagnetic wave having a higher frequency than the first electromagnetic wave;

a susceptor configured to hold a semiconductor substrate, made of a material transparent to the first electromagnetic wave and provided in the housing;

a temperature measuring device configured to measure the temperature of the semiconductor substrate; and

a control unit configured to control powers of each of the first electromagnetic wave source and the second electromagnetic wave source in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device,

wherein the control unit keeps the second electromagnetic wave source turned on to heat the semiconductor substrate until the temperature reaches a preset temperature, and turns off the second electromagnetic wave source and turns on the first electromagnetic wave source when the temperature measured reaches the preset temperature to keep the temperature at a substantially same temperature as the preset temperature.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the susceptor is made of glass.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the susceptor is made of single-crystal silicon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnetic wave is a microwave having a frequency ranging from 1 GHz to 45 GHz, and the second electromagnetic wave is a terahertz wave having a frequency ranging from 3 THz to 17 THz.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnetic wave is a microwave having a frequency ranging from 1 GHz to 45 GHz, and the second electromagnetic wave is light having a frequency of at least 300 THz.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the susceptor is secured to a rotation mechanism made of a material transparent to the first electromagnetic wave and is able to rotate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature measuring device is a radiation thermometer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnetic wave source is a magnetron.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnetic wave source is provided on the upper surface of the housing, and the second electromagnetic wave source is provided on the lower surface of the housing.